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Father of Gentilly triple murder victim booked with 3 counts of first-degree murder

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The New Orleans Police Department had named Shawn Peterson as a person of interest in the triple homicide that happened in Gentilly. He was booked at the Orleans Parish Prison Wednesday evening.
(NOPD)

Shawn Peterson, the convicted felon questioned
by police, then released a few hours later, after a New Orleans Police Department dispatcher and her
two grown children were found gunned down in the garage of their Gentilly home
earlier this month, has been arrested and booked with three counts of
first-degree murder, according to New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal
Serpas.

Peterson, 41, was booked into Orleans Parish Prison on Wednesday about 6:15 p.m.,
just a few hours after police issued a warrant for his
arrest.

When asked why Peterson was released after police named him a "person of
interest" less than 24 hours after the murders of Christine George, 39; her daughter Trisa George, 20; and her son Leonard George, 18; Serpas said there was an "alibi
to be checked and information to follow up on to make sure we had enough
evidence to arrest him."

Through their investigation, police discovered that parts of Peterson's alibi and much
of the information he provided didn't "pan out."
Authorities also obtained additional evidence during the past few days
which gave them reason to secure a warrant Wednesday afternoon for his arrest, Serpas said.

"Our homicide detectives, especially lead Detective Darrell Doucette, did an
amazing amount of non-stop work looking into the information Peterson gave us and following up on information that ultimately lead to his arrest," Serpas said.

Serpas would not say if Peterson had confessed to the crimes.

Peterson is the father of Leonard George, whose body was found on
Sept. 11 just after 11 p.m. alongside his mother and sister. Peterson was the former live-in boyfriend of
Christine George, according to police.

While police would not elaborate on details of the motive of the murders,
they did confirm the murders were an act of domestic violence.

"Peterson has a long history of domestic violence against women and numerous
arrests for domestic violence," Doucette said. "While
there are no records or reports of domestic violence against Christine George,
there are records of incidents with many other women."

Peterson was arrested in two
separate domestic incidents in 2008, according to municipal court
records.

On July 1, 2008, he was arrested in a domestic violence incident in the 3300 block of Earhart Boulevard.
According to a police report, the victim called and said Peterson beat her "during
a verbal altercation, knocked her on the floor and struck her several times
with closed fists"

He was also arrested on June 30,
2008, for making obscene phone calls to the same woman, records
show. The report said, Peterson called the victim and threatened to kill her
because she had called the cops and complained that he beat her days
before that.

"Peterson is a dangerous man who was able to kill his own child, his longtime
girlfriend and her daughter," Serpas said. "These are horrendous acts and we hope that justice
is served in a court of law."